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SHANGHAI (Reuters) – The U.S. shooting down of what Washington says was a Chinese spy balloon and Beijing says was a civilian scientific vessel accidentally blown off course has fuelled widespread questions, including about the balloon itself. More is likely to be learned about the balloon after the U.S. military recovers its remnants from the …

What we know and don’t know about the Chinese balloon Read More »

SYDNEY (Reuters) – New Zealand authorities said on Wednesday they had recovered 3.2 tonnes of cocaine worth more than $300 million, believed to be bound for Australia and found floating at sea. New Zealand Police said it a statement it had collected the drugs from the Pacific Ocean in a joint operation with the New …

New Zealand recovers $300 million of cocaine floating at sea Read More »

By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address on Tuesday that he would cooperate with great power rival China, but vowed “to protect our country,” a reference to a Chinese spy balloon that traveled across America last week. “I’m committed to work with China where we …

Biden vows ‘to protect’ country in State of the Union speech, refers to China balloon Read More »

By Hyonhee Shin SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean lawmakers voted on Wednesday to impeach the interior minister over his responses to a deadly Halloween crush, setting the stage for him to become the country’s first cabinet member ousted by the legislature. The impeachment motion was passed by a widely expected 179-109 margin in a secret …

South Korea’s parliament votes to impeach minister over Halloween crush Read More »

By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s national war memorial will remove several Chinese-made security cameras installed on the premises because officials are concerned they could be used for spying, local media reported on Wednesday. Eleven surveillance cameras manufactured by Hikvision, partly owned by Chinese state investors, will be removed from the Australian War Memorial …

Australia to remove Chinese-made security cameras from national war memorial -reports Read More »

By Leika Kihara TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the new central bank governor must have strong communication skills and be able to closely coordinate with global peers, offering his most explicit comment to date on his preference for the top job. Speaking in parliament, Kishida said on Wednesday he was still …

Japan PM says global communication skills key for new BOJ head pick Read More »

By Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The opposition has taken a majority in the assembly of the most populous Solomon Islands province after Daniel Suidani, a vocal critic of the country’s relationship with China, lost a no-confidence vote, an adviser to the ousted leader said on Wednesday. Celsus Talifilu, the adviser, said in an interview …

Opposition in majority in key Solomon Islands province after anti-China leader ousted Read More »

TAOYUAN, Taiwan (Reuters) – There is “no arrangement” for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the deputy chairman of Taiwan’s main opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT) said on Wednesday before leaving for Beijing, but added he would follow whatever his hosts set up. Andrew Hsia, a former senior Taiwanese diplomat and one-time head of …

‘No arrangement’ to meet Xi, senior Taiwan opposition leader says as he leaves for China visit Read More »

By Yukiko Toyoda, Nobuhiro Kubo and Neil Jerome Morales TOKYO/MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr arrives in Japan on Wednesday for a visit that is expected to pave the way for closer security ties with Tokyo, as Manila increasingly sides with the United States in its regional tussle with China. Marcos and Prime …

Philippines’ Marcos visits Japan seeking closer security ties Read More »